globalbabe
Registered
Hi all - As I pack and prepare to travel on my next diving trip tomorrow night - Mafia & Zanzibar, off Tanzania - yay! :cool2: - I am reminded of the problems I've been having with getting my regulator in my carry-on through the immigration/security check at the airport here in Islamabad.
Every trip I have done with it in my carry-on out of Pakistan in the last six months - to Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Australia - has meant I have had the security officers at Islamabad airport insist on opening my bag after it goes through the x-ray machine (twice here), briefly attempt to state that it is dangerous equipment to carry on board (they seem to act as if I have a tank of compressed air attached to it which might explode mid-air), concede that they don't know what it is after a conference with their supervisors, and then finally let me take it through. However, on my last trip in June, the security supervisor insisted it was WAY too dangerous to take on board, claiming the hose might be used to strangle someone (yes, really!), and demanded I check it through. Fortunately it's a small airport, so they quickly retrieved my checked bag and let me put it in there before rechecking it. He also said that there is no way I would ever be able to take it in my carry on again (I think that was just bluff and bravado though - you see that a lot here).
So, I'm curious - is this just a local problem I'm having at a small airport in the developing world where they don't see a lot of diving equipment and therefore don't know what is dangerous and what isn't or do others have problems getting their regs through security scans? I might add that I have had no problems whatsoever when departing the countries I've been visiting while carrying my reg.
I was considering contacting one of the local dive centres in Karachi to see how their staff divers handle this problem and whether there are (un)official channels through which I can get a letter of some kind stating the equipment is safe to fly within my carry-on?? Just a thought. I really would prefer to carry it as you never know who gets their hands on/into your baggage in this part of the world. Plus I can't get decent, high-value travel insurance from here that would cover me adequately for theft of high- or medium-value items (over $500).
Every trip I have done with it in my carry-on out of Pakistan in the last six months - to Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Australia - has meant I have had the security officers at Islamabad airport insist on opening my bag after it goes through the x-ray machine (twice here), briefly attempt to state that it is dangerous equipment to carry on board (they seem to act as if I have a tank of compressed air attached to it which might explode mid-air), concede that they don't know what it is after a conference with their supervisors, and then finally let me take it through. However, on my last trip in June, the security supervisor insisted it was WAY too dangerous to take on board, claiming the hose might be used to strangle someone (yes, really!), and demanded I check it through. Fortunately it's a small airport, so they quickly retrieved my checked bag and let me put it in there before rechecking it. He also said that there is no way I would ever be able to take it in my carry on again (I think that was just bluff and bravado though - you see that a lot here).
So, I'm curious - is this just a local problem I'm having at a small airport in the developing world where they don't see a lot of diving equipment and therefore don't know what is dangerous and what isn't or do others have problems getting their regs through security scans? I might add that I have had no problems whatsoever when departing the countries I've been visiting while carrying my reg.
I was considering contacting one of the local dive centres in Karachi to see how their staff divers handle this problem and whether there are (un)official channels through which I can get a letter of some kind stating the equipment is safe to fly within my carry-on?? Just a thought. I really would prefer to carry it as you never know who gets their hands on/into your baggage in this part of the world. Plus I can't get decent, high-value travel insurance from here that would cover me adequately for theft of high- or medium-value items (over $500).